Exclusive: Luton man blackmailed ex with revenge porn over £50 ‘debt’

Adam Parris-Long

A Luton man blackmailed his ex-partner with revenge porn after the pair broke up, a court heard yesterday.

Andy Vandenhurk, 40, of Mount Pleasant Road, violently attacked the ex after a row broke out at an address in Luton on October 13 last year.

Luton Magistrates’ Court heard that Vandenhurk banged the victim’s head against a wall several times and was heard to shout “I’m going to kill you”.

The victim was then grabbed by the hair, then by the throat and pushed on to a bed.

The assault was only stopped when a neighbour, who overheard Vandenhurk’s threat, knocked on the front door.

Toby Earnscliffe, prosecuting, told the court that the neighbour found the victim “in a state sobbing uncontrollably on the bed”.

Vandenhurk claimed the victim had made the threat and was being violent.

Magistrates heard that later the same evening Vandenhurk sent a comprimising image of the victim to the neighbour and the victim’s sister.

Mr Earnscliffe told the court that Vandenhurk did this in an attempt to extract £50 out of the victim.

In a text message the victim’s sister told Vandenhurk that she didn’t want to see the image, to which he replied: “Nor does the rest of the world but he owes me £50 and if I do not get it by midnight this will go viral.”